Buildings, infrastructure, or industrial. Commercial or residential. Regardless of trade and sector, if you’re a worker in the construction industry, you’ll need to get paid for your services. Not only that, but you’ll need to document the project from the initial proposal to the final cost if you want to keep your customers happy. Our free, blank construction invoices provide a professional backdrop for you to assess the job, give a quote and get paid.
Our free construction invoice templates are simple and intuitive to use. Once downloaded, you can easily customize them to fit your needs. Different projects might call for slightly different invoice formatting—that’s why we made our construction invoice template so flexible.
As a construction worker, you know a job doesn’t always go as planned. More often than not, there’ll be a hiccup or two that may require more time and/or material to get the job done. Unforeseen circumstances should be part and parcel of your invoicing process—added costs that add to your initial quote need to be noted and explained. Maintaining a level of transparency lets your customers know that they can trust you to do work for them in the future.
Construction invoices will vary depending on the specific work being performed. Your particular trade or even client may demand a more or less technical explanation of your services and rates. In general, a sample construction invoice template will include the following:
1. The name of your company
2. The name of your customer
3. The duration of the work you’re billing for
4. Invoice number
5. A description of your work
6. Payment terms detailing your preferred payment methods, as well as any payment options or applicable warranty information
7. Project notes
8. An itemized list of materials used to complete the work, including quantity for each type of material, per unit price, and a total for each type of material used
9. A detailed breakout of labor, including hours worked, hourly rate, and the total amount to be charged for each type of labor
10. A separate line item for the total cost of materials
11. A separate line item for total cost of labor
12. The price you’re charging, including applicable tax
13. Date payment is due
Building on that framework, you may want to break down the price so the customer knows how the cost of both labor and material shakes out. That break down may list the hours worked performing different aspects of the job. For example, if you’re framing out a room, as well as roughing in the electrical for it, you may want to charge different hourly rates respectively. Customers want to know what they’re paying for, so being as detailed as possible is a smart move.
Your invoicing window is fairly flexible with construction, since projects will typically last for a considerable amount of time. From the initial meeting, the project will have to be evaluated, laid out and scheduled. Often, projects need to be completed in phases, with lengths of time in between those phases.
One option is to match your invoicing with project phases—this ensures you’re getting paid consistently as the job unfolds and more material is needed. For instance, if you’re renovating multiple rooms in a home and doing one room at a time, you may bill for the materials and work as each room is completed. Similarly, if it’s a larger project -- such as building an addition to a home, you may divide payments up into monthly installments over the specified duration of the project. This option may be ideal all-around as customers often prefer to pay in installments.
Another route you can take is to charge the full amount after the job is completed to your customer’s satisfaction. More wary customers prefer this as they are assured the job won’t be left partially completed. This option requires more up-front capital from your company, and it may not be the best choice for smaller operations.
A third option is to require full or partial payment before the project starts. Not only may this method be off-putting to some customers, but you may sacrifice wiggle room for unforeseen costs as the job progresses.
You take great pains to ensure your work looks professional—shouldn’t your invoices reflect that? Here are some pro tips to keep your invoices looking good and to make your process effective and efficient.
When you think you’re ready to upgrade to an automated invoicing process, make sure you check out Sage Business Cloud Accounting online invoicing tools and explore how it can take your business to the next level.
The many facets of construction work make it hard to pin down a one-size-fits-all template—that’s why ours are so customizable. We’ve compiled some tips from business owners like you on how to most effectively carry out your invoicing process so you get paid quickly and consistently.
Save time and save trees by switching to online invoicing with Sage Business Cloud Accounting. Upgrading is easy and can make the all the difference when positioning your business in the modern world. An online presence is essential for businesses today—and adapting to your customers’ preferred methods of payment can set you apart from your competitors. Sage Business Cloud online invoicing digitizes and automates the billing process, making sure you get paid and your customers stay happy.
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